Peter Schmuck: Is the Baker deal the canary in the Orioles’ mineshaft?

I’ll admit at the outset that at first glance I don’t like the Bryan Baker trade, though I understand the rationale.

He’s a strong reliever – his meltdown on Tuesday night notwithstanding – and it’s not like the Orioles can pluck somebody out of their minor league system who can bring the same skill set to the mound in the late innings.

And as much as executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias loves to be well-armed for each year’s draft, not every second round-equivalent draft choice is going to get you a Gunnar Henderson … or even a solid future major league player.

So it’s hard not to think that this is a sign that the partial rebuild has begun and that the only thing standing in the way is the unlikely possibility that the Orioles go on two-week tear that gets them close enough to .500 to justify staying the course.

Of course, it would be really nice if the O’s win 10 or their next 12 games, but they have to show that they can sustain an offensive performance consistent enough to make that happen. Anything’s possible, which is why Elias left that door open in his comments justifying the deal.

The Orioles are playing way better than they did for most of the first half of the season, and yet the drive back to sea level has seemed to hit a wall at about the 10-under mark. (If only this were golf.)

The most encouraging thing, aside from the upward trajectory of young Jackson Holliday, is the way Trevor Rogers has bounced back and rookie Brandon Young seems to be emerging. If that keeps up and Kyle Bradish can get back into the mix in mid-August, the Orioles could have a very solid starting rotation for the rest of the season and beyond.

Problem is, without a nearly miraculous move in the standings before the trade deadline, it seems very unlikely that Elias will pass up the opportunity to get what he can for some of the players he does not have control of beyond this season.

That’s why the Baker deal makes perfect sense to him–even though Baker has three years of club control remaining–and doesn’t resonate with a lot of Orioles fans, if the social media commentary is any indication.

My advice: Keep praying for that miracle, but make sure you enjoy the good things that are happening with this team regardless of what happens in the standings.

Henderson has gotten in gear and Holliday has established as an exciting player at the top of the batting order. Jordan Westburg is back and is reminding us of what he means to this team as the “glue-guy” in the lineup.

The long-term future is bright and will get brighter one way or another, by an influx of talent at the minor league level at the trade deadline or with some truly significant acquisitions during the offseason. Or both.

Elias will make that call in the next three weeks. I’m guessing a lot of you won’t like what he decides.